BUSINESS LIVE: CMA probes eight housebuilders; Bunzl buys Nisbets; Hipgnosis legal woes

Investors will be encouraged to commit more money to women-led startups under Government-backed schemes.

Female founders receive just 2 per cent of all UK venture capital, a statistic that has remained stubbornly low.

Bunzl bought UK catering equipment and consumables distributor Nisbets for £339 million, the distribution group said on Monday, warning that operating margin this year would be slightly below 2023 levels.

The London-listed company said it witnessed a slower-than-expected start to the year in North America, but expected to deliver slight revenue growth in 2024, helped by a series of acquisitions made last year.

It also acquired Finnish company Pamark, Bunzl said in a statement.

Heathrow has denied it is shelving plans for a third runway as passenger numbers continue to rise.

Europe’s busiest airport has rejected reports that chief executive Thomas Woldbye wanted to scrap the expansion and was in the process of disbanding the team in charge of it.

In a statement last night, Heathrow said the claims, which were first reported by The Sunday Times, were “incorrect” and “did not reflect” its strategy.

Britain’s competition watchdog has launched an investigation into eight housebuilders after finding evidence indicating possible sharing of commercially sensitive information between competitors.

The Competition and Markets Authority said the sharing of confidential information could influence site development and new home prices.

“While the CMA does not consider this information sharing to be one of the main factors in the persistent lack of housing delivery, it is concerned that it could weaken competition in the market,” the regulator said in a statement.

Companies include Barratt, Bellway, Berkeley, Bloor Homes, Persimmon, Redrow, Taylor Wimpey and Vistry.